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Witchouse
| running time = 72 min. | country = USA | language = English | budget = $250,000 | gross revenue = | preceded by = | followed by = Witchouse II: Blood Coven }} Witchouse is an American horror film of the witchcraft subgenre and the first installment in the Witchouse film series. It was directed by David DeCoteau and written by Matthew Jason Walsh based on a story treatment by Benjamin Carr. The movie was produced by Full Moon Entertainment and Castel Film Romania and released direct-to-video on June 22nd, 1999. Plot The story takes place in the small town of Dunwich, Massachusetts. A strange Goth chick named Elizabeth Le Fey invites nine college kids over to her house for a party. A couple known as Bob and Margaret are the first to arrive. They explore the mansion and notice how it is dolled up like somebody's haunted house. They go down into the dungeon basement with the intent of having sex when suddenly an eerie female shape spills out of the shadows. Her eyes glow green and a knife comes down upon them. Bob's body falls on top of a chalk white pentagram etched onto the floor. Margaret follows soon after. Soon after, the rest of the guests begin to arrive. Roll call: Jack Smith (The Yuppie), Scott Meredith (The Jock), Brad Payton (The nerd), Janet Salisbury (The tomboy), Tony Spires (The stoner), and Marie Darrow. The group carries on a bit, engaging in trite bits of conversation. The only significant detail is that Jack is an Applied Sciences major and is pretty handy when it comes to electronics. Now Elizabeth makes her entrance just in time to introduce the final guest, Jennifer Bainbridge (The nerdette). Elizabeth decides that it would be fun to engage in something called a Mayday séance. Everyone gathers around a pentagram in the main living room and holds hands. Elizabeth tells a story concerning a 17th century ancestor named Lilith Le Fey. Apparently Lilith was a woman who was the prodigy of two powerful sorcerers. But as she came of age, Lilith gained hold of her father's copy of the Necronomicon and used it to invoke the power of the Old Ones. It was her desire to become an even more powerful witch. She abducts a child from the city of Dunwich with the intent of using him as a mortal sacrifice. But a tribunal of Witch-hunters finds out, and captures Lilith before she can kill the boy. They tie her up to a stake and but her to the torch. This night represents the 300th anniversary of Lilith's execution. Now in the midst of the séance, Brad begins having a vision wherein he sees himself tied up on the cross. He freaks out and the séance ends. Scott and Marie ditched out on the séance preferring to go upstairs to fool around. While the two busy themselves with enjoying each other, the others decide to explore the rest of the house. Brad goes down to the basement where he finds Elizabeth engaged in a macabre ritual. In her hands are the heads of Bob and Margaret. Apparently she needs the blood of two innocents in order to resurrect her old ancestor. This is why Bob and Margaret were set to arrive early. Lilith comes back to life and attacks Brad. She kisses him and sucks his life away from him. Meanwhile upstairs, Jack and Jennifer begin snooping around the house. Jack finds a library containing several copies of the Necronomicon. Apparently, there were quite a few of these books. Upon leafing through it, he finds a page containing a list of several names. The names correspond to the surnames of everyone at the party. Everyone except Jennifer Bainbridge that is. Now Jack and Jennifer come to discover that they are all the descendents of the original witch-hunters from 1698. Apparently Elizabeth resurrected Lilith in order to gain revenge upon the surviving family members of those who originally destroyed her. Lilith's magic infects Scott and turns him into a demon. Scott kills Marie while she is taking a shower. Through osmosis, Marie turns into a demon as well. We have a few more moments of mush-mush business between John and Jennifer and then we turn to Janet and stoner Tony. Janet and Tony are running around the mansion trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Janet basically acts like a mad she-ape while Tony does nothing but crack drug culture jokes and act stupid. They finally run afoul of Lilith who uses a magic blast to zap Tony across the room. Janet runs over to her and delivers a full-on haymaker right to Lilith's grill. She locks her into an adjacent room and Tony and she are on the run. Lilith gets out however, and meets back up with Elizabeth. They go downstairs where they find Jack and Jennifer. Lilith tries to attack Jack, but Jack repels her by reciting the Lord's Prayer. Even Elizabeth puts her hands up in fear of the prayer. Tony and Janet are on their way back downstairs to meet up with Jack and Jennifer. Scott impedes Tony's progress and tears his head clean off his shoulders. Janet however, manages to meet back up with Jack and Jennifer. The three run down into the basement where they find the corpses of Brad, Bob and Margaret. For some reason, Lilith's magic infects Janet and she turns into a demon as well. Jack throws a fire poker at her and spears her in the stomach. Demon-Janet removes the poker and chucks it back at Jack catching him in the leg. She heaves a magic blast at him, but Jack deflects it with his little crucifix necklace. Janet burns the necklace away, but Jennifer jumps in the way and turns Janet's power back upon her by way of a reflective serving tray. Janet goes up in flames. So now Jack and Jennifer run back upstairs. Jack has a plan and he puts his Applied Science knowledge to the test. He splices some wires from the wall and ties them to the fire poker. Then he takes the other end of the spliced cable and re-connects it to the fuse box. Lilith comes up there and Jack stabs her with the fire poker. Jennifer hits the switch on the fuse box and Lilith goes up like a Roman candle. They go back downstairs only to be stopped by Elizabeth. Now we discover why Jennifer's family name wasn't listed in the Necronomicon. Jennifer Bainbridge is the descendent of the child that was nearly sacrificed by Lilith Le Fey in 1698. Elizabeth tries to stab Jennifer, but Jenny turns it back on her and Elizabeth dies. Cast Notes & Trivia * The tagline for this film is "Evil Beyond Evil...". * Director David DeCoteau is credited as Jack Reed in this film. It is not unusual for directors and writers to use a pseudonym, particularly if they wish to distance themselves from a piece of work they feel is unsatisfactory. * Actor Dave Oren Ward was tragically stabbed to death during a traffic altercation in West Hollywood and died in the hospital on April 2nd, 1999 at the age of 27. This film is dedicated to his memory. * Though based on an actual town, Dunwich has also been popularly represented in the works of Gothic horror author H.P. Lovecraft, and has appeared in the 1929 short story The Dunwich Horror. * The Necronomicon is a fictional tome of occult lore, which also has it's roots in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Recommendations * Charmed * Secret Circle * Suspiria (1977) * Warlock (1989) * Witchcraft (1989) See also * Witches * Witchcraft * Witch films * Known witches External Links * * * Witchouse at Wikipedia * * References